It’s like a biology text book and a ball of yarn fell madly in love, got married and had a few babies. And the matchmaker that got these two crazy kids together? New York artist Emily Barletta. I have to admit… I might be a little bit in love too. I have a soft spot in my heart for work that blurs the line between art and craft, and she has definitely done that with these stunning, organic sculptures. Crochet, embroidery, clay, bead work and a very interesting concept behind it all. Yep, a match made in heaven.

Lynn Whipple is a fantastic, and very accomplished, American collage/assemblage artist. These pieces are from her lovely, yet kind of absurd, mixed media series called ‘Ninnies’. She has work in galleries all across the US, and is featured in more publications than I can list. I love her work, but what inspires me even more is a little section on her blog called 100 Bad Paintings. All of you artists out there – listen up! The idea is that when you’re starting out, or changing your style, or just working on new ideas, chances are you’ll do 100 bad paintings… so you might as well get started. ‘What really happens is, it frees you up to play and not worry. Now you can enjoy the process. The truth is you get better really quick, maybe even by #19. Try it!’ She has bravely posted a bunch of oil paintings (not her usual medium of choice) that she considers bad, but in progress.

This is insane… and photos don’t do it justice. I saw this life size ‘May Pole’ installation by Canadian artist Kristi Malakoff last spring up close and personal. Isn’t it beautiful? And wait, it gets better… the whole thing is made out of, brace yourself, cut paper. Yes. Everything. The curly hair, the lace, the ribbon, the birds. Everything.

{When you visit her site, make sure to check out the ‘Flower Installations’ section – all of which are made from thousands of flowers that she has photographed, then printed and cut out of paper, and last but not least, arranged into words, scenes etc. Amazing!}

You’ve got to think that for Theresa Honeywell this painstaking work must be almost as agonizing as getting a real tattoo. This is how she explains her process… “[Each piece is] made in the similar labor intense way that a tattoo is made, using only a needle to draw with, but instead of ink on skin, my medium is only thread on thread.”

Jealous is a bit of an understatement. I’m totally in awe of Kate Bingaman-Burt. She is a hugely talented designer, illustrator, crafter (if that’s even a word), Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Portland State University, and what I can totally relate to, a detailed list maker. Since I can’t possibly cover all of that in one or two paragraphs, I’ve chosen to write about this:

Obsessive Consumption, a project she began in 2002 in which she meticulously documents all of her purchases. She started out by photographing everything she bought, cataloged with the receipt. Then she moved on to drawing not only all of her purchases, but all of her credit card statements too. Obsessive? Yep. Awesome? You betcha! Now Kate has her own zine called What Did You Buy Today? that you can pick up for only $4/issue on Etsy. Get a pencil… you might want to do a quick sketch of your purchase.

Weird, hilarious and kinda cute… the triple threat that gets me every time.

These strange little creatures are called ‘mooks’. I found one of them on Pikaland, and then followed the trail back to an etsy shop called My Grey Sky, run by an artist who uses the name I love grey skies. Well you know what Ms. Grey Skies, I love your mooks! Especially the ones wearing knitted hats. I’ve had a thing for knitted head gear lately… must be the cool September weather. Brr.

It’s like a giant tea cozy, pot holder, afghan explosion! So fun. So colourful. So cozy.

I had a very hard time choosing which one of Sarah Applebaum‘s crocheted pieces to show. This one seemed the coziest, so it won. It is titled, ‘Padded Room‘. I would love to hang out in there on a rainy afternoon, wouldn’t you?

I wrote about Wendy Walgate a few months ago, and then this past weekend I turned a corner at the Toronto Outdoor Art Show and came face to face with her amazing work. I was so thrilled to actually see it in person, but the best part of it all was getting to meet her. Not only is her work lovely, but so is she. Sadly, that’s not always the case with super talented people!

Tim Moore is a British-born artist now living in Australia. These two pieces are from his solo show, Sew Natural, at the Helen Gory Gallery. What do I love about these? It’s a fine blend of the nude, gun-toting grandmother, the bunny hats/flip flops/saggy boobs of the ladies in the second piece, and of course, the skillful sewing that could put any Nana to shame.

A cheap plastic bag from a dollar store? Nope, it’s bridal organza & embroidery that’s been made to look exactly like a cheap plastic bag from a dollar store. Re-explaining this seemed silly so I’ve taken this quote directly from Lauren DiCioccio herself: “[This] is a response to the current movement to eliminate plastic bags from consumer use due to their negative environmental impact… [They are] delicate ghosts of the original bags, mass-produced plastic replaced with soft, tediously worked fabric.” There you go. Couldn’t have said it better myself.